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Robin Hood Energy

Robin Hood Energy is a not-for-profit energy company owned by a local authority. It claims 'to do things differently’ - so is Robin Hood right for you?

Robin Hood Energy is a not-for-profit energy company that provides gas and electric for households and businesses in the UK.

Owned by Nottingham City Council, Robin Hood Energy says its ambition is to reduce fuel poverty across the country. It claims that being a not-for-profit company allows it to keep prices low.

It has recently begun selling only tariffs that are backed by 100% renewable electricity. There is a range of different tariffs, fixed and variable, including pay-as-you-go tariffs and ones only for Nottingham residents. Some of them are very competitive.

Prepayment meter customers can get emergency credit if your meter runs out at a time when you cannot get to a shop to top up.

Robin Hood Energy customer score

Robin Hood Energy came second out of 30 energy firms rated by 7,439 members of the general public in the annual Which? satisfaction survey.

It beat all of the Big Six energy firms.

Robin Hood Energy score breakdown

Below we show more details about Robin Hood Energy’s score from our latest survey. Scroll down to to find out what Robin Hood Energy's customers really think of it and to see what actually goes into its fuel mix.

Which? verdict on Robin Hood Energy

Last year, Robin Hood Energy sat in the middle of our table. But this year it’s near the top and scores well across the range of measures we asked about - which includes customer service and value for money.

Customers are very positive about it being value for money; 48% rated it as excellent for this.

Being owned by Nottingham City Council, and not for profit, Robin Hood Energy claims to be able to keep bills low because it doesn’t pay its directors bonuses and has no private shareholders.

Robin Hood scores a respectable four stars out of five on all measures we asked about, from bills, to complaints handling to customer service.

Robin Hood also promises to offer customers the cheapest tariff that meets their needs. Customers get paper bills and an online account.

Previously, none of its tariffs had exit fees but now some of them do. This means you might have to pay £30 per fuel if you want to switch to a new deal before yours has expired.

In our snapshot customer waiting times investigation, Robin Hood Energy was faster than average to answer customers’ phone calls. It was slower than average to respond to emails - taking four-and-a-half days, on average.

Robin Hood is now part of the Warm Home Discount scheme, which offers a one-off payment to help those struggling to pay their energy bills.

Pros: Highly rated by customers overall, faster than average to pick up the phone

Cons: Slower than average to respond to email, now charges exit fees on some tariffs

Robin Hood Energy electricity sources

Robin Hood currently only sells tariffs with 100% renewable electricity. Its fuel mix is for the year 2017-2018 (the most recent available) and dates from before it switched to 100% renewable electricity.

Robin Hood Energy in the news

2018

October: Robin Hood Energy announced a 14.8% price increase for customers on its standard variable tariff. From 29 November 2018, customers who used a medium amount of gas and electricity saw £155 extra added to their bill per year. A fifth of Robin Hood Energy's customers were affected by the price change.